AI Assurance Service Design Forum Explores the Future of Trustworthy AI

On 30 April 2026, Imperial College London hosted the AI Assurance Service Design Forum, bringing together over 30 representatives from government, academia, professional bodies, consulting, financial services, legal and technology sectors to explore how a trusted AI Assurance ecosystem could operate in practice.

Co-organised by Validate AI CIC, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), ICAEW and Imperial College London, with support from DSIT, the forum examined how AI Assurance can evolve from fragmented good practice into a recognised profession supported by standards, certification and scalable assurance services.

Participants included representatives from Imperial College London, Cambridge University, DSIT, the UK Statistics Authority, Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, EY, Accenture, HSBC, Beazley, Unilever, BCS, ICAEW, the Operational Research Society, The Alliance for Data Science Professionals, Lloyds Bank, TechUK, Holistic AI, Trilateral Research and Validate AI CIC.

Through a series of interactive design exercises, they considered how a trusted and scalable AI Assurance ecosystem could be developed in the UK.

Four strategic themes emerged

• Professionalisation and Certification – developing competency frameworks, standards, accreditation pathways and recognised AI Assurance professionals.
• AI Assurance Service Design – creating scalable assurance services, evidence-sharing mechanisms and ecosystem operating models.
• Governance and Accountability – establishing clear roles, responsibilities and transparency frameworks across the AI lifecycle.
• Case Studies and Risk Management – developing a repository of AI Assurance good practice and lessons learned, drawing on both successful assurance approaches and serious failures across AI implementation to identify effective risk mitigation approaches.

A particularly strong message from the workshop was that AI Assurance is increasingly being viewed as an ecosystem rather than a single organisational function. Participants highlighted the importance of collaboration between regulators, professional bodies, insurers, assurance providers, academia and industry to build public trust in AI systems.

The discussions also aligned closely with emerging national initiatives to strengthen the UK AI Assurance market and support the development of professional standards, assurance services and trusted governance mechanisms.

For Operational Researchers, the event highlighted growing opportunities to contribute expertise in decision-making, risk assessment, systems thinking, assurance frameworks and governance. As AI adoption accelerates across sectors, Operational Research has an important role to play in helping organisations design, evaluate and assure trustworthy, transparent and accountable AI systems.

The forum demonstrated growing consensus that AI Assurance is evolving into a distinct professional and economic sector. Realising its potential will require coordinated action across government, industry, academia and professional bodies, creating a significant opportunity for the Operational Research community to contribute to the future of trustworthy AI.

Feedback from participants

“What struck me most about the excellent AI Assurance Forum was the collaborative and constructive spirit among all the participants. The attendees had an open and curious approach to exploring the challenges and opportunities and hearing from each other. This happened partly because the Forum invited really good people; but it also happened because of the care that went into curating the event and making it operate effectively as an open dialogue.”

“The discussions at the AI Assurance Forum reinforced our confidence that the UK is well placed to take a leadership role in developing a strong and effective AI Assurance ecosystem. The collaborative spirit in evidence among the diverse and high-profile group of stakeholders really highlighted how a multi-dimensional approach can deliver value by considering perspectives from across the ecosystem to agree a practical portfolio of services.

The clear alignment in experience, expectations and understanding points to an emerging shared view of what ‘good’ looks like in AI assurance, with a real opportunity to develop trusted solutions for clients and strengthen the UK’s position in building a safe, innovative and trustworthy AI landscape.”

If you are keen to get involved, please email [email protected].

Authors: S. Khan and J. Hopes, OR Society – Inside OR